KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Senior quarterback Joey Aguilar fired touchdown passes to three different receivers, and a trio of running backs also found the end zone as Tennessee jumped all over UAB early and cruised to a 56-24 victory in front of a crowd of 101,915 Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The Volunteers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) produced touchdowns on six of their first seven possessions against the Blazers (2-2, 0-1 AAC) en route to a 42-7 halftime lead, with the reserves taking over after the first-team offense added another score during the first series of the second half. After jumping on top of UAB 21-0 in the first frame, the Big Orange now has outscored its foes in that quarter, 83-7, over the first four contests this season.
With his team’s triumph, head coach Josh Heupel reached 40 wins at UT, becoming the seventh coach in school history to hit that mark. He is the first Big Orange leader to do so since Phillip Fulmer and saw his record improve to 40-16 overall and 20-3 in non-conference games, including 18-1 during the regular season.
The Vols set the tone early against the Blazers as they have done in each contest in 2025, scoring on their first possession and getting a game-opening touchdown for the third consecutive week. This time, it was wide receiver Chris Brazzell II hauling in a 19-yard pass from Aguilar to stake UT to a 7-0 lead just 2:04 into the proceedings. All four of UT’s game-opening drives this season have taken two-and-a-half minutes or fewer, with an average of exactly 2:10 per possession.
Tennessee struck again on its second drive of the day via a 39-yard pass from Aguilar to wideout Mike Matthews and tacked on a three-yard rush from running back DeSean Bishop before the end of the first quarter. The Vols added a one-yard Star Thomas plunge to open the second stanza before UAB finally got on the scoreboard with a 30-yard reception by Brandon Hawkins Jr. from quarterback Jalen Kitna to narrow the margin to 28-7 with 7:34 remaining in the half.
UT responded, however, as running back Peyton Lewis took an option pitch from Aguilar and raced 32 yards to pay-dirt with 2:50 left in the half, and Bishop added his second scoring run of the day from two yards out with 32 ticks on the clock to send the home team into the locker room with a comfortable 42-7 cushion. Aguilar directed a balanced first-half attack, compiling 179 yards and two scores on 13-of-20 passing and helping the Big Orange outgain UAB 173-4 on the ground with three different ball carriers combining for four touchdowns.
UAB opened the scoring in the second half with a 45-yard Jonah Delange field goal before Thomas took a shuttle pass from Aguilar and zipped 17 yards up the middle to the end zone to make it 49-10. With their starters watching from the sidelines, the Vols added a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Kaleb Beasley in the third quarter, while the Blazers managed a 61-yard strike from Kitna to Kaleb Brown in the third quarter and a one-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Jacobs late in the game to account for the final score.
Aguilar finished 15-of-22 passing for 218 yards and three scores, with Lewis leading all rushers with 81 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and Brazzell recording team highs on the day with five receptions for 62 yards with one TD. All told, the Volunteer offense amassed 510 yards of total offense, with 275 coming through the air and 235 on the ground.
Defensively, sophomore defesnsive back Boo Carter led all tacklers with a career-best nine stops, including six solos, and had three tackles for loss, a sack and two forced fumbles. Redshirt junior defensive back Jalen McMurray added six stops, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a half-sack. Tennessee conceded just 23 rushing yards on the day, the lowest total it has allowed under Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks.
UP NEXT
Tennessee faces its first true road test of the season next Saturday, as the Vols travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State in Davis Wade Stadium at 4:15 p.m. ET (3:15 CT) in a contest televised by SEC Network.
